The Boy From The Future
by hermione-lily-luna-sirius
Summary: One day in Harry's Sixth Year, a tall, blackhaired boy appears in the Gryffindor Common Room in a flash of light, disorientated and spouting absolute nonsense. Who is this mysterious boy and where is he from? Timetravel, and disregards HBP.
1. Prologue

**The-Boy-From-The-Future**

**Disclaimer**: We do not and never will own Harry Potter or other associated characters and ideas.

**Summary**: Harry has started his Sixth Year at Hogwarts, but is trying to forget everything that happened in the previous year through continuous work. He's still expected to defeat Voldemort, while studying for his NEWTs and as a result, has morphed into a workaholic, particularly when it comes to Potions.

But life at Hogwarts is turned upside down when a boy with messy, jet-black hair pops up unannounced in the middle of the Gryffindor Common Room, wearing a Slytherin crest.

**A/N**: The Fantastic Four has been reduced to the Despondent Duo due to escalating schoolwork. An earlier work of ours has been almost entirely ignored, which made us feel rather rejected. However, hopefully this story will take off better, so read on and let us know what you think.

* * *

**Prologue **

James Potter frowned. Sighing heavily, he ran his hand through his untidy black hair and sucked on the end of the quill again. The calculations made no sense at all. After peering blearily at the Arithmancy textbook propped up against a pile of Transfiguration books, he scribbled out the last four lines of calculations and started again. Now, if he just adjusted that equation _there_ and maybe –

"James, it's almost two in the morning, what in _Merlin_ are you doing?"

James looked up from his work, frowning at the interruption. However, his frown disappeared and he chuckled when he saw his best friend, Alex Dee, standing at the bottom of the stairs with a look of absolute horror on his face.

"Well, you're up, aren't you?"

"Only because bloody Caxton woke the whole dorm up with his screaming when Bebb's cat clawed him in the face. Then we noticed you weren't there. You haven't been working on _that_ since we left you, have you?"

James laughed, then yawned. "Actually I have. It doesn't make any sense. I think I'm doing something wrong at the beginning, but I can't seem to work out _what_."

Alex's answer was a questioning arch of his right eyebrow.

"Oh alright, I'll come up. I don't suppose there's any point in me trying to get it right now when I didn't get it right three hours ago. That is what you want to say, isn't it?" James said in reply, with a knowing smirk.

Alex merely huffed and disappeared up the stairs.

Still seated at the parchment-strewn table, James shook his head and reached for his quill to put it away. However, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a rather awkward equation that did not, under any circumstances, balance out the opposing one. _That's it!_ he thought to himself as he snatched his quill, but instead of putting it away, began to scribble out what seemed like a complicated and indecipherable mass of numbers and strange symbols.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Harry Potter frowned. Sighing heavily, he ran his hand through his untidy black hair and sucked on the end of the quill again. How on earth could Snape expect him to write an essay explaining how Moonstone could be substituted by _Gillyweed_ in a potion? The two had absolutely nothing in common with each other. And that was on top of the essay on how the properties of the ingredients of the Draught of Living Death corresponded with those of the Draught of Peace that everyone else had been set.

Sighing heavily, he turned another page of the thick book to his left. _Properties of Gillyweed_,proclaimed the small, loopy script at the bottom of the page. _Aha! _he thought when he spotted the neat table that summarised not only Gillyweed's physical properties but also its magical properties. Now, all he needed was Moonstone's equivalent –

"Harry, it's nearly two in the morning, what in _Merlin_ are you doing?"

Harry looked up from his work, frowning at the interruption. However, his frown disappeared and he chuckled when he saw his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, standing at the portrait hole, which had just swung shut behind them.

Ron had a look of absolute horror on his face while Hermione's seemed to be fighting a battle between disbelief and approval.

"Well, you're up, aren't you?"

"We were doing our rounds and they would have ended about _three_ _hours_ ago, only bloody Filch insisted that a pair of Fifth Years had hexed Mrs Norris. Honestly, what do _you_ think they were doing on the top of the Astronomy Tower at this time of the night? I can guarantee it had nothing to do with his ruddy cat," explained Ron, emphasising his words with rather violent gestures.

"Harry, you haven't been working on _that_ since we left, have you?" asked Hermione.

Harry laughed, then yawned. "Actually I have. Snape will throw me out of Potions otherwise, and I _need_ a NEWT in Potions to get onto the Auror training course."

"Oh Harry, get some sleep. I'll help you with that tomorrow," said Hermione, which of course caused Ron's mouth to drop open. His girlfriend looked at him and he quickly closed his mouth with a loud 'click'.

Harry smiled gratefully. "Oh alright, I'll go up. I don't suppose there's any point in me trying to do it now when I couldn't four hours ago."

Hermione smiled at Harry approvingly before giving Ron a peck on the cheek. Then, she disappeared up the stairs that lead to the girls' dormitories. Ron watched her as she walked up before turning to Harry with a questioning look on his face.

"I'll be coming, Ron. Just give me a chance to clear this mess up," said Harry, waving a hand at the parchment-strewn table.

Ron nodded once before he too left the Gryffindor Common Room.

Still seated at the messy table, Harry shook his head and reached for his quill to put it away. However, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the word 'Moonstone' amongst the mass of parchment and books. Sifting through the pile, he soon found an entire chapter that detailed the two rather rare and, to be frank, odd occasions when Moonstone could be substituted by Gillyweed in a Potion.

Grinning, Harry reached over for a new roll of parchment.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next day, James walked into the Great Hall half-asleep and irritable, not to mention twenty minutes later than usual. Most students had already finished eating and left for their lessons.

Sitting down at his empty House table, James put his book-bag down and made a half-hearted attempt at a bit of toast, before giving up and settling for a large goblet of pumpkin juice.

Suddenly, he felt a hard thump on his back, pitching him forward and causing him to choke on the juice.

Irritated, he turned around, only to see a pair of First Years running to the doors; Hufflepuffs, he thought, vaguely recognising a flash of straw-coloured hair tightly plaited into pig-tails and secured by bright pink ribbons. Turning back to his plate, he noted with disgust that the toast was drenched in pumpkin juice. Sighing under his breath, James gulped down the rest of the juice while idly wondering where his friends were.

_Oh, good point. It's Monday, so they have to get up to the Divination Tower._ He smirked inwardly. _Am I glad I didn't take Divination. Ugh. _

Picking his bag up, James made his way to Arithmancy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Oh why did I decide to make it a life-long goal to become an Auror? Why? _grumbled Harry to himself as he absently stirred his potion.

Already exhausted from the previous night, the fumes that his potion was emitting weren't exactly conducive to making a flawless potion in Snape's NEWT-level class.

_Thirteen…fourteen…fifteen…sixteen. Now counter-clockwise…one…_

Harry checked the instructions again. Something was wrong. The potion should _not_ be producing any fumes until the seventh step; and Harry was only on the fifth. He frowned, reading through the instructions again. Then, he suddenly noticed that he'd forgotten to add the crushed beetle.

_Oops_.

"POTTER! _Why_ do you have fumes? And _brown_ fumes at that? Any fumes produced by this potion are blue; a deep, royal _blue_."

Snape had spotted Harry's very obvious error and soon was commenting not only on the quality of this potion, but also every other potion he had ever brewed, not to mention the state of his work-surface and equipment.

Harry sighed. _It's going to be a long morning._

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After a long and extremely tiring day, James collapsed onto his bed, throwing his book-bag down at the foot and falling face-first into the green pillows. He was prepared to fall asleep at that very moment, but then suddenly realised that he it was his turn to get hold of certain ingredients for several experiments. _WHY? Have some mercy!_ he screamed silently.

With a loud huff, James picked himself off the bed, straightening his robes and running a hand through his hair. Before he left the room, he made his way to his trunk. Tapping it in an odd figure-of-eight pattern caused the heavy lid to spring open. James extracted what appeared to be an ancient piece of blank parchment and a box of Chocolate Frogs.

Making his way through the Common Room, he noticed that quite a few people were still up. James stepped quietly into the room. He noticed Teddy Bebb and Amadeus Caxton, the other two boys he shared a dorm with, by the fireplace, playing a rather one-sided game of chess. James winced at the sight of Teddy's crushed pieces stacked up on Amadeus' side. Deciding against interrupting their game, James moved on towards the exit; he opened it just as he heard a muffled crunching and Teddy swearing under his breath.

_Why on earth did Alex have to let loose a pack of Dungbombs outside the Charms classroom? Now I have to go exploring by myself. _

James paused outside the door, before he muttered quickly, tapping the blank parchment with his wand. Once the black lines finished writhing across the page, James was left with a map, no, The Map of Hogwarts. He smirked slightly when he saw _Alex Dee_ in the Great Hall, next to _Argus Filch_ and _Mrs Norris_.

_I should feel sorry, but…_

Shrugging off the guilty feeling, James scanned the rest of the sheet, idly pausing at particular names and making note of their positions. Once he was satisfied, he pulled out a piece of shimmering, folded cloth from a pocket, replacing it with the small box of Chocolate Frogs.

James disappeared from sight after he flung the Invisibility Cloak over his shoulders. Quietly, he made his way through the dungeons, avoiding the corridor where his best friend was serving detention with the ancient caretaker, Mr Filch, and his equally aged cat.

Pausing outside the room where he had his Potions lessons, James checked the Map again for any sign of the Potions Professor. He grinned when he saw that the man was up in the Headmistress's office along with the other Heads of House.

James tried the door, but unsurprisingly, it was locked.

"_Alohomora_," he said, but the door did not budge, just as he'd expected. After spending an additional five minutes trying charm after charm, James put his wand away, and brought out a Muggle paper-clip.

With a few deft motions, the lock clicked open. James smirked, mentally sending a thank you to Fred and George Weasley for teaching him the technique, among others. Quietly, he stepped into the room, heading straight for the Professor's personal store-cupboard. As James threaded his way through the desks, he paused every few moments in order to check the map.

_Still with the Headmistress; couldn't be more perfect. _

Once he reached the store-cupboard, he pulled out his wand, but almost immediately noticed that the door was slightly ajar.

_Well, now, that wasn't so hard, was it?_

_Don't get too cocky, though._

James shook his head and ignored the opposing voices. Glancing at the map, he noted that all the Heads of Houses were safely in the other end of the castle, before he carefully reached out and pushed open the door.

He was greeted by jar upon jar of some of the more dangerous and rare ingredients used in Potions. Although transfixed, he quickly calmed himself and proceeded to methodically 'borrow' several items that were difficult for students to legally procure.

Doxy eggs, concentrated wormwood oil, boomslang skin, Somnolens Essence and…_aha, ashwinder eggs_!

_Good Merlin, I can't believe McGonagall lets him keep this lot here. Mix a couple of these together, and you've got the potential to level Hogsmeade. _

James carefully packed each ingredient in specially prepared containers, which he then shrunk a tap of his wand. After making sure that the store-cupboard was in the same condition it was in when he first arrived, James crept out of the Potions classroom and made his way back to his dormitory, avoiding teachers and prefects with the aid of the very useful map.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Harry groaned. He was sitting with Ron and Hermione in the Gryffindor Common Room; Hermione was doing her Potions homework but Ron was doodling idly on a piece of scrap parchment. Harry himself had taken over a corner of the long table and was once again buried behind stacks of parchment and Potions texts.

It was getting late when Hermione and Ron moved themselves to Harry's side. Harry didn't notice them, so preoccupied was he with the essay he was writing.

"Ok mate. This is the point where I'm actually scared. You've never shown this much interest in Potions before, why now?"

Harry looked up with a start, as he hadn't noticed Ron and Hermione moving over.

"Sorry?" he said, his concentration still partially on the heavy book in front of him.

Hermione looked at Ron worriedly. "Harry, just stop reading for a second, will you?"

Harry stuck a bit of scrap parchment in between the pages before he closed the book. "Yes?" he said, finally fully focused on his two best friends.

Ron glanced over at Hermione on Harry's other side, and after she nodded slightly, took a deep breath.

"Well, you see, it's just that you keep _working_. That's not normal for you, especially since most of the work you're doing is Potions. It's just, well, _scary_, Harry."

"Exactly Harry," continued Hermione. "Don't get us wrong, we're just worried that this sudden enthusiasm for work has to do with Si-Snuffle's death. And maybe you need to talk about it, but we haven't really been around for you."

Harry sat, rather quietly, thinking for a moment. He wasn't exactly sure what to say. To him, it had been rather obvious that he'd been doing all this work so he could do well in his NEWTs and become an Auror, in addition to the fact that he'd not wanted to think about fighting Voldemort, but rather try to find something else to occupy his attention.

Now he wondered if all the hard work had also been a way to distract himself from Sirius' death. He was just about to open his mouth and verbalise these thoughts when a bright flash of light near the Portrait Hole blinded him for a moment, and causing a group of Third Years sitting next to it to scream and leap away, shielding their eyes.

Harry, Hermione and Ron immediately leapt up, wands in their hands and the earlier conversation momentarily forgotten. Their actions were duplicated by several older students who sat around the room.

There was a moment's pause before everyone's eyesight was fully restored from the effects of the blinding flash. At that moment, a tall boy who was previously sprawled on the floor, scrambled up with his wand held out in front of him. When he did so, there was a sharp intake of breaths throughout the Common Room, for the boy looked exactly like Harry!

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Very cliche chapter break there, yeah, yeah...just couldn't help it ;) 


	2. Chapter 1

**The-Boy-From-The-Future**

**Disclaimer:** We do not and never will own Harry Potter or other associated characters and ideas.

**A/N:** Sorry about the time it took to update, but here's Chapter 1. Hope you like it, and please review :o)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The boy appeared slightly flustered, before he regained his composure and narrowed his eyes at the Gryffindors.

"What the hell's going on?" spat the boy. "It's not funny, you know."

Fortunately for the gaping Gryffindors, Hermione came to the rescue.

"Well, we could easily ask you the same question," she stated matter-of-factly. Her wand was still raised.

"You just appeared in our Common Room in a rather violent flash of light, practically blinding half the room, and as you can see, sending the other half into rather a state of shock."

The Harry look-alike simply looked bemused rather than contrite at her words. "I'd have thought that being Gryffindors, you'd all have rushed at me, wands blazing or something," he said, smirking slightly.

"Gryff- oh," said a Fourth Year. "You're a _Slytherin_," she said, suddenly noticing the green serpent that was proudly displayed on the boy's robes.

"We've never seen you before, though," added Lavender Brown with a slight frown.

The boy raised an eyebrow in a scarily accurate impression of Professor Snape. "Well, I've never seen _you_ before, and unlike the way rumour has it, Slytherins _do_ mix with Gryffindors," he retorted, rather arrogantly. However, the gleam in his eyes dulled slightly as he looked around the room.

"Actually," he continued a bit more softly, "I don't think I've seen _any_ of you before, he said, frowning. "Where's Longbottom?" he asked, almost as an afterthought.

Neville stepped forward, his wand lowered ever so slightly, as were the others'. "Do I know you?" said Neville.

Instead of helping, though, Neville's appearance only seemed to cause the boy to look more confused.

"I don't think so, but I don't know you either," he said. "Marissa Longbottom? No?"

The students standing nearest to him shook their heads.

"Erm… Octavius Rex? Christine Hurley? Heather Richardson? Canopus Buckingham?" He was starting to look rather alarmed. You don't know the members of your Quidditch team?" Harry was about to reply very sharply that he _did_ know the members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team; he was Captain, thank you very much, but his apparent twin spoke before he could.

"Alright…Malfoy? _Everyone_ knows him. Bit of a prat, but-"

He was cut of by Ron, who gave a loud bark of laughter, not unlike Sirius used to. "_Malfoy_ in _Gryffindor_? Are you quite with it?"

However, the boy's eyes practically fell out of his head when he saw Ron. He completely lost his previous composure and started to splutter.

"Uncle Ron? Why are you…what happened…how are you so _young_?"

"Are you alright, mate?" asked Ron, now worriedly.

The boy's eye's swept over him to fall on Hermione, who was standing at his side, and he looked as if he were suddenly seeing her in a different light.

"Aunt 'Mione," he whispered. Then his gaze fell on Harry. There was a pause before the boy spoke.

"Dad," he said evenly. For what seemed to be hours, the two stared at each other. However, before Harry could ask him why on earth he'd be calling Harry '_Dad_', of all things, the boy's eyes rolled up into his head, and he fainted.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"My name is James Sirius Potter."

Professors Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall gaped at each other. The boy, who sat in front of them, bound by his wrists to the hospital bed, shook an errant lock of black hair out of his eyes and stared back at them with a glassiness borne of Veritaserum.

Professor McGonagall was the first to regain the ability to speak.

"Oh my," she said softly, her normally stern face slack with shock. Turning to Professor Dumbledore, who stood to her left, she said, "What does this mean, Albus?"

Albus Dumbledore shook his head slightly as he continued to observe the boy in front of him. There was complete silence for a few heartbeats before Professor Snape broke it with a question to the boy.

"How did you get to the Gryffindor Common Room?" he asked.

Turning his head ever so slightly to the direction of Snape's voice, the boy replied in a monotone, "I don't know. However, I believe it could have resulted, partially, from the accidental mixture and subsequent explosion of Somnolens Essence and boomslang skin, although the concentrated wormwood oil may have contributed."

Snape stared at the boy who sat silently and unblinkingly, now that he had answered the question. Sitting in the hospital bed and surrounded by crisp white sheets, he no longer wore his school-robes embroidered with the Slytherin crest. Snape felt a bit more comfortable with that; it felt completely _wrong_ to imagine, let alone see a Potter in green and silver.

Not voicing his thoughts, instead he arched an eyebrow and asked acidly, "And where would a student find Somnolens Essence, boomslang skin and wormwood oil? They are certainly not ingredients one would leave lying about the Potions lab…unless you have an incompetent Potions professor?"

Appearing to take Snape's comments as a question, James replied, "I got them from your private store cupboard, sir. I don't really think you're-"

Whatever James was about to say was interrupted when the door to the hospital wing opened and Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor clumped in, his magical eye spinning wildly.

"What's all this about mysterious boys, Dumbledore?" he said as he made his way over to them. "Oh. Is this him, then?" continued Mad-Eye.

"Yes, this is the boy Alastor," said Dumbledore wearily. "And, after a brief interrogation under Veritaserum, I have come to a remarkable conclusion." Dumbledore peered at James, who still stared blankly, over his spectacles.

"And what is that?" asked Professor McGonagall, finally regaining the capability to speak.

"I believe, and this is, at the moment only a few steps above mere speculation, that the boy is from the future, and after viewing the Pensieve memories of Misters Potter, Weasley and Longbottom and Miss Granger, I also believe that this boy is Harry Potter's son."

Another historic moment occurred as all three Professors in front of Dumbledore were stunned into silence.

Professor Dumbledore smiled at his colleagues' shock.

"I will contact some acquaintances of mine, who I believe can help find a way to return the boy to his time. In the meanwhile, he should stay at Hogwarts as I believe it to be the safest place for him and his education need not be interrupted."

"But Albus, how will we explain him? He looks like Harry, not to mention the fact that he's in Slytherin, of all houses. I have nothing against your house, Severus," added Professor McGonagall hastily at Snape's glare, "But inter-house relations are not…quite what they should be."

Professor Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "Yes, indeed." Suddenly, he looked up at the three, his eyes twinkling merrily. "Perhaps this is the opportunity to improve those frayed relations, hmm? Let James remain in Slytherin, change his last name and change his hair colour. That should be a more than adequate disguise. And I'll have to speak to the Gryffindors too."

"I'll do that," said Professor McGonagall. "They have been locked into the Common Room with no access to communication; Filius performed some quick charms on the tower."

Professor Dumbledore nodded gravely, but Professor Snape was quick to find fault with the plan.

"And what of the fact that Hogwarts has a new student arriving suddenly in the middle of the term?" he asked, looking none too happy at the thought of a Potter in his house.

"We'll work out a story for him," said Professor Moody, who had been strangely quiet. "What with all these Death Eater attacks, there's plenty of families that have been uprooted; this boy can be one of them."

"A splendid idea Alastor," said Professor Dumbledore. "Severus, what say you administer the antidote so we can discuss this matter with James?"

The group waited silently as Professor Snape placed three drops of antidote on James' tongue. After a few moments, his eyes cleared and he blinked before opening his mouth to say something. However, after a second's pause, he shut his mouth and observed the four professors warily. His hands, which had briefly tugged on the restraints, fell limply to his side.

Professor Dumbledore caught James' eye briefly before the boy blinked and averted his gaze. However, it was enough for the Headmaster to detect the faint emotions of confusion, fear and…guilt?

"James Potter," began Professor Dumbledore. "We have determined that you are from the future, although not the exact time period." He paused, giving James the chance to speak.

"My dad's still in school," he said, still trying to process the idea in his head.

"If it's Harry Potter that you're talking about, then yes," said Professor Moody bluntly. "I'd personally like to know what you intend to do," he continued.

James frowned, looking at each professor in turn. "Well, I'd preferably like to continue with my studies for as long as it takes me and you, I suppose, to find a way for me to get back to my time. I'm in my Sixth Year, by the way," he added.

"Yes, and so is your father," said the Headmaster. James' eyes widened fractionally as his brain began to calculate the dates.

"I'm from…twenty years in the future," he said.

The others were silent as they tucked the snippet of information away. Then Professor McGonagall spoke.

"Mr Potter, we have decided that it would be best if you remained in your own house, that is, Slytherin, but you need to change your name; most certainly your last name, but possibly your first name too. You will also need to change your hair colour, although that would simply be a quick transfiguration that I can perform whenever you decide what hair colour to choose."

James nodded thoughtfully. Then he looked up. "I'd rather keep my first name, but I'll change my last name to Schwarz," he said. "That was my mother's maiden name," he added at the questioning looks.

The others nodded, all frantically trying to work out who Miss Schwarz was and if they had ever met her.

"And perhaps I could have brown hair?" asked James. "It would blend in quite easily, not to mention the fact that most of Mum's side had brown hair," he said to Professor McGonagall.

"Of course. Shall I do it now, Albus?"

"Yes, the sooner we get this done," he replied.

With a quick flick of her wand and a whispered spell, James' black hair was replaced with a mop of wavy, light brown hair. When the other professors glanced inquisitively at the Transfiguration Professor, she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"I have to say, it's remarkable what a change in hair colour can do," said Professor Moody.

"It certainly is," said Professor Dumbledore. Then, turning back to James, he said, "What subjects do you take, so Professor Snape can get your timetable for you?"

"Arithmancy, Charms, Defence, Potions, and Transfiguration," said James.

Professor Snape sneered and said nastily, "I certainly hope you are more competent than your father at Potions, Potter." Professor McGonagall shushed him and said, "Severus, I hope you remember, the boy's name is Schwarz now," to which Professor Snape rolled his eyes.

The Headmaster and Professor Moody looked on the two in mild amusement before James spoke up.

"Erm, I hope it's not too much trouble, but now you know I'm not a lunatic or anything, could you remove these?" he said, nodding towards the magical binds that still restrained him.

"Oh, of course, my boy," said Professor Dumbledore, idly flicking his wand in the direction of the bed, and James was able to move his hands again.

"Your clothes and wand are on that chair there," said the Headmaster, indicating to the corner of the curtained-off area. "If you'd kindly dress as quickly as possible, Professor Snape will escort you to the dungeons." Professor Snape nodded. "Minerva, if you would speak to your house and notify me of any problems." Here, Professor McGonagall nodded too, "And Alastor, if you'd kindly contact Flourish and Blotts and Madam Malkin's for James' supplies." Professor Moody nodded, and the Headmaster smiled at the group.

"Well then, we'd better get started," he said cheerfully, leading the professors out so that James could get dressed.


	3. Chapter 2

**The-Boy-From-The-Future**

**Disclaimer**: I do not and never will own Harry Potter or other associated characters and ideas.

**Summary**: Harry has started his Sixth Year at Hogwarts, but is trying to forget everything that happened in the previous year through continuous work. He's still expected to defeat Voldemort, while studying for his NEWTs and as a result, has morphed into a workaholic, particularly when it comes to Potions.

But life at Hogwarts is turned upside down when a boy with messy, jet-black hair pops up unannounced in the middle of the Gryffindor Common Room, wearing a Slytherin crest.

**Chapter 2**

"Professor?" asked James as he walked beside Professor Snape.

"Yes?" replied the professor shortly.

"Can we go through my background story again, please?"

Snape looked down at the boy with an unreadable expression, and then nodded.

James frowned, then cleared his face, speaking in a casual tone. "I was home-schooled by my parents, who were both purebloods, by the way. My father was from the Continent and my mother your distant relation on your mother's side. My father worked freelance as a security consultant and my mother 'did something with Herbology and Potions'."

Earlier in the hospital wing, Professors Dumbledore and Snape had concocted an elaborate history for James. In order to provide some veneer of authenticity and a reason for James to attend Hogwarts, it had been decided that James' mother would be a cousin of Professor Snape.

Snape nodded when James paused for confirmation.

"Unfortunately, they were killed at the Death Eater raid on the French Ministry of Magic and as you are now my closest relative, I was sent to stay with you at Hogwarts, thus killing two birds with one stone as I can attend lessons here," finished James with a triumphant grin.

Snape shot an unimpressed glance at the boy and carried on walking. Surprisingly, James did not retaliate and instead ignored his professor's moodiness.

Three corridors away from the beginning of the dungeons, Snape stopped walking and turned to James who promptly halted.

"Po- Schwarz, it is imperative that you behave in a more, shall we say, _desolate_ manner. Someone who has just lost their parents and home does not grin in that idiotic manner," snapped Snape.

"It could just be a way of hiding my grief, sir," replied James easily. "Don't worry, I know how to behave. You forget that I actually am a Slytherin; I know how it works in this House. And just to let you know, I also know what makes _you_ tick. After all, you've been my Head of House for almost six years," said James airily before he strode ahead.

"_Schwarz_," thundered Snape, causing James to freeze.

After a moment's hesitation, James turned around and hung his head in a suitably apologetic manner. Snape just sniffed at his new charge's theatrics and swept past him, leading him into the dungeons.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Professor!" cried Hermione, quickly standing up from where she'd been sitting next to Ron. Professor McGonagall had just stepped into the Common Room, which had been effectively sealed shut by Professor Flitwick after James was taken to the hospital wing.

Professor McGonagall pinched her already thin lips and paused before she spoke. Her Gryffindors sat waiting for her; some had adopted a look of practiced nonchalance, others looked eager. Flicking her eyes briefly to Harry, she noted that he looked thoughtful.

"I am afraid that the explanation for the earlier events will have to wait until Professor Dumbledore arrives," she said. "However, to reassure you, the boy you saw is in perfect health and has been seen by Madam Pomfrey," she continued when she saw Harry flash a worried look at Ron.

"But Professor, he was acting really oddly, asking for people in Gryffindor that none of us know," persisted Hermione. Before Professor McGonagall could reply, Ron added, "Yeah, if there's anywhere he should be, it's St Mungo's. He thought _Malfoy_ was in _Gryffindor_."

Once again, Professor McGonagall was interrupted, but this time, by the Common Room door opening. Turning around with a frown, she instantly relaxed when she saw Professor Dumbledore enter, but tensed up again when she saw the four hooded figures following behind him.

"Albus," she said, "Is this really necessary?"

The Headmaster smiled apologetically at his deputy and gestured to the figures behind him. "Minerva, I'd like you to meet some acquaintances of mine, Delta, Gamma, Pi and Upsilon, from the Ministry." Then, to the Gryffindors, he said, "What you witnessed earlier today was the result of a magical accident. It has since been corrected. But unfortunately, it is in your best interests to remain in the dark about the incident."

With a sudden clarity, Hermione realised what Dumbledore was saying. Harry followed not too long after that and soon several other students, both older and younger, were muttering amongst themselves.

"Professor," Harry spoke up nervously. "Is this really necessary?" he said, echoing McGonagall's earlier reservations.

The Headmaster turned to him and said gravely, "I'm afraid it is, Harry. It would be too dangerous for any of you to remember the boy you saw."

With that, he signalled to the four hooded figures, and then stepped back behind them, gently pulling Professor McGonagall with him. Two, who wore brown robes underneath their navy cloaks, raised their wands and brought them down in a slashing motion, incanting the spell silently. The other two, who wore deep burgundy and black, also incanting silently, wove their wands in an intricate pattern followed by a quick, short, flick upwards.

The moment they flicked their wands, a bright white light flashed from the four that encompassed the entire area in front of them. A moment later, the students were frozen in place with slightly glazed looks. The four turned to face Professor Dumbledore who then proceeded to perform some complex spell-work of his own, before he turned back to the four.

"Thank you, gentlemen. It has been a pleasure working with you." They nodded sharply. "And the students regain their mobility and new memories immediately after the Common Room door closes, am I correct?"

One of the burgundy clad men said in a low voice, "Yes Headmaster. Now, if we may?" he said, indicating towards the door.

"Oh, yes, indeed," said Dumbledore, allowing his guests, and then Professor McGonagall to leave before following them.

The portrait slammed shut, and as one, the Gryffindors were animated.

"Blimey," said Ron. "Imagine Snape's nephew managing to accidentally Portkey into Gryffindor Common Room." He broke off with a guffaw. "How could Dumbledore make such a mistake?"

"You heard him Ron, he mixed up the co-ordinates. Despite what everyone says, Professor Dumbledore is only human," said Hermione wearily.

Harry grinned slightly at his two friends, who were now bickering quietly, but as he turned to retrieve his Potions text, he couldn't quite help feeling that there was something missing.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"This is the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room," said Professor Snape, stopping at a stretch of bare, stone wall. "A password is required to gain entry, which changes every week. Do not forget it," he said sharply, turning to look at James.

"Yes, Professor," said James in a very polite voice. Professor Snape looked at him suspiciously before turning back to the wall.

"_Ophiucus_," he said, and the entrance opened to reveal the low, long dungeon that had been James' home for the past five years. Professor Snape stepped in before James and looked around before he made his way to some carved chairs in front of the fireplace. James followed silently until they reached the group of students who sat in a huddle, poring over a slim, leather-bound book.

"Draco," said Professor Snape to a boy with white-blond hair. The boy looked up to acknowledge his Head of House. James gaped. It was and yet it wasn't his Gryffindor friend Solly Malfoy. The hair was undoubtedly the same, but something was slightly different; it was like comparing himself with his own father –

"Schwarz," came Professor Snape's voice, bringing James rudely out of his thoughts; he'd missed most of Professor Snape's introduction. Flicking his eyes over the others, he could see that they were trying to hide their sniggers.

"Yes sir?" replied James.

"These are some of the Sixth Year Slytherins," said the professor. "They will help you adjust to the school. Your belongings should be up in your dormitory; if they are not, come to me. I will be in my office." James nodded in assent.

"Draco." Draco Malfoy snapped to attention. "Show Schwarz the way to my office if he needs me."

"Yes sir," said Draco.

"Good," said Professor Snape, giving them all a curt nod and sweeping out of the Common Room.

Once Professor Snape had left, the Slytherin Sixth Years turned to examine their new housemate. With a sly grin, Draco said, "You didn't look like you were paying attention to Professor Snape's introduction, so we'd better repeat it. I'm Draco Malfoy, nice to meet you."

James nodded with a sheepish smile and then turned to the others. The dark boy who sat next to Draco was Blaise Zabini and the dark-haired girl with what James thought of as a peculiar pug-like face was Pansy Parkinson. The other girl sitting with them was Daphne Greengrass and the hulking boy in the corner was Vincent Crabbe.

Once they were all introduced, the others started to pummel him with questions. _Where did he come from? Who were his parents? What school did he go to before and why was he attending Hogwarts in his Sixth Year in the middle of the term? _

When James told them that his parents had been killed in the raid at the French Ministry of Magic last month, the group fell absolutely silent. It was Pansy who broke the awkward silence.

"We're terribly sorry, James," to which James just shrugged.

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. You weren't there."

Again, a heavy silence hung around the group.

"Look, I'd rather not talk about my parents," said James, hoping to dispel the uncomfortable atmosphere. "Erm…do any of you play Quidditch?" he asked, swiftly changing the subject and knowing full well that Draco Malfoy was the Seeker for Slytherin House. Fortunately for James, they dropped the topic of his background and soon, a lively discussion on Quidditch tactics was taking place.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Breakfast at the Great Hall was as usual, noisy and filled with the lovely smells of food. Looking around, James could see that nothing had changed, apart from the doors that led into the Hall, as they had been destroyed by one of Voldemort's more ambitious attacks.

However, the inside was unchanged; the enchanted ceiling showing a greyish blue sky with a light swirl of cloud. Banners that proclaimed the different Houses hung on the stone walls and the long tables sparkled with the golden plates and goblets. The other Slytherins took James' intense gaze for the usual awed look that everyone had on their first glimpse of the Hall and didn't say anything, instead directing him over to the Slytherin table.

James was a quick eater and after eating some scrambled eggs and toast and sipping at chilled pumpkin juice, he noticed that the others still hadn't finished yet. He delved into his brand new book-bag and fished out his Transfiguration text and was just about to open it when Professor Snape made his way to the table.

"Schwarz, this is you timetable. Do take a look now, so you may ask for help finding the classrooms. I do not want complaints of lateness, new student or not."

Before James could reply, Snape had left.

Blaise looked over and laughed. "What did you do to him? He's not usually that abrupt with our house."

James looked over at the retreating back of the professor and shrugged. "Maybe it's because I'm messing up the general order of things, you know, arriving in my Sixth Year, late in the term? I get the idea that Professor Snape doesn't like his order disrupted."

"Yeah, maybe," said Blaise. "What's your first lesson today?"

James looked at the timetable. "Oh. Potions. Great, more Professor Snape," he said in a slightly weary voice.

Draco, who was sitting on James' right, laughed. "It's not so bad. He generally leaves us Slytherins to our own devices; it's only the other houses he picks on. Although," he said thoughtfully, "He does seem a bit…irritated by you."

Again, James shrugged, knowing that Professor Snape only behaved the way he did because James was a Potter. It had taken James a good three years before the professor had even acknowledged James' superior skill in Potions, and another year after that to get over the apparent ignominy of having a Potter in his house. James wasn't too bothered; he'd just make the best of a bad situation.

Having finally finished their breakfasts, Blaise, Draco and Pansy made their way back into the dungeons for Potions with James, who trailed behind them in order to not appear too knowledgeable of the route.


	4. Chapter 3

**The-Boy-From-The-Future**

**Disclaimer**: I do not and never will own Harry Potter or other associated characters and ideas.

**A/N: **Erm...there's something not quite right with this chapter, it's kinda forced, but it was the best possible in the circumstances...exams, exams, exams. Do forgive :o)

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The Potions classroom was exactly as James remembered: dark, gloomy and filled with an assortment of peculiar ingredients lining the walls. However, as the rest of the class filed in, he noted with amusement and slight concern that the other three houses distanced themselves from Slytherin, a clear border apparent.

With a glint of mischief in his eye, James suddenly hauled his cauldron over to an empty desk that sat well over the border, dragging Draco, who had been sitting next to him, along.

"James, what do you think you're doing?" hissed Draco, his quick reflexes rescuing a falling jar of ingredients.

"Moving," said James shortly as he pondered the pros and cons of hissing back at Draco in Parseltongue.

"We don't sit here; Slytherins sit over there," said Draco as he indicated the spot where they had previously sat. Blaise and Pansy were observing James' antics with mild amusement.

James just shrugged. "If you're uncomfortable, I'm fine working alone, really. You can work with Blaise and Pansy."

Draco stared at James, his eyes narrowed. Then, without another word, he huffed and started to unpack his equipment. James just threw him a triumphant smirk.

The door flew open with a bang and Harry and Hermione half-ran in, already apologising. James watched as his father blushed crimson upon realising that the Potions professor was, for once and most probably for the first time, late.

Harry and Hermione took a table next to James and Draco, albeit on James' side, and had just finished unpacking their ingredients when Professor Snape stormed in, looking absolutely livid; his black robes billowing around him. Taking in the attentive class, he snarled and waved his wand at the board with a parting order of, "Get to work!"

James raised his eyebrows and looked questioningly at Draco, who just shrugged and simply started scanning the instructions for the Euphoria-Inducing Potion that they were making that day. James frowned at the professor who sat at his desk, furiously marking essays; he pitied whoever was unlucky enough to have an essay marked by Snape in a temper.

However, he soon busied himself with his potion, chopping and mixing the ingredients meticulously. Next to him, Draco was following the instructions on the board to a tee and so was slightly distracted when he noticed James stirring the potion counter-clockwise when clearly, there were no instructions to do so at all.

"James, you do realise the instructions say you should be stirring clockwise, not counter, don't you?"

James nodded, but didn't move to correct himself, instead saying, "Yep, that's if you want to stir clockwise thirteen times. Stirring counter-clockwise means I stir half as many times, but since it's hard for most people to get the half exact, the number of stirs is doubled and reversed to make it easier to remember."

Draco gaped at his new housemate and only turned away when his potion turned a very _wrong_ shade of grey. But he needn't have worried, as James took one look at Draco's potion, another quick look to ensure that their professor was still at his desk, and then threw three dandelion petals and a pinch of crushed daisy root in. The potion corrected itself.

Unfortunately, James' happy smile was wiped off when Professor Snape suddenly loomed over the pair and smirked into James' cauldron, then peered into Draco's.

"Mr Schwarz," he started nastily. "I did place rather high hopes on your brewing skills; however, I find myself disappointed. I daresay even your…_father_ made a better attempt."

James clenched his fists under the table, but Professor Snape wasn't finished yet. He'd obviously had a less desirable start to the morning and was intent on taking out his frustration on someone. Unluckily for James, his table was first in line, so he bore the brunt of the professor's ire.

"And now you attempt to sabotage Mr Malfoy's potion so I don't notice the inadequacy of yours? _Evanesco_," he said savagely, ignoring Draco's protests and sweeping away to inspect the Blaise's potion.

James looked at his now empty cauldron and sighed. A touch to his arm made him look up. Draco stood there, his eyes pleading to James for forgiveness and James grinned slightly.

"Don't worry; he didn't like me the minute he set his eyes on me. I was rather expecting something like this anyway." Turning back, James started to pack away his things, leaving Draco to bottle his own near perfect sample for marking.

As James placed the final ingredient jar into his cauldron, he caught a quick flash of black in front of him as Draco casually tossing a withered substance towards Harry's cauldron. The green-brown strip hit the slightly too runny potion with a soft splash, but Harry's head was turned as he borrowed a quill from the person behind him and Hermione was at the front of the classroom, handing in her sample. Draco simply tossed James a nasty smirk and indicated to Harry's cauldron.

The potion had started to hiss and spit, grey smoke curling lazily from the cauldron. Harry turned around, his face contorted in horror and he was just about to raise his hand to get Snape's attention when the professor turned around and took note of the extremely hazardous situation that was unfolding in front of him.

"Potter!" bellowed the professor. "Everyone, out, NOW!" he continued as he strode over to the now smoking cauldron, his wand in his hand.

The entire class moved swiftly into the corridor; the heavy wooden door firmly closed behind them. No one said a word as they stood there, waiting apprehensively for a muffled explosion. No doubt the professor's already simmering temper would be taken to new levels with an apparent mistake as serious as that.

And they weren't disappointed.

"POTTER!" he thundered as the door flew open with a loud bang a few minutes later. All the students leapt back in fright. Professor Snape strode out, a look of absolute fury on his face, the tips of his hair singed and curling, a shiny burn on his cheek and half the sleeve on his right arm gone.

Harry, who had been standing with, or rather attempting to hide behind Hermione, cringed.

The professor's nostrils flared and two pink splotches appeared on his pale cheeks.

"I want you OUT of my Potions class Potter. I don't care what the Headmaster says; you will not set foot in this classroom again."

James could tell that Snape was only getting warmed up.

"You foolish, clumsy, dunderheaded oaf; you could have killed or maimed most of the class including yourself…two_ – no, three hundred points_-"

"It wasn't him, professor," said James, cutting his Head of House of in the middle of a very impressive tirade.

Everyone around him blinked. Draco had abandoned all former poise and had his mouth hanging open. Hermione frowned and Snape turned to face James, who stood between Blaise and Draco, a look of determination on his face.

"Really, Mr Schwarz?" said Snape silkily. James gulped hard.

_Why did I have to play hero and open my big mouth? It's not as if Dad _knows_ who I am … now he'll think it was _my_ prank and then _I'll_ get kicked out of Potions. _

Nevertheless, James looked Snape straight in the eye and confidently said, "Yes sir. I…I threw a whole daisy root into Potter's cauldron…I thought it'd be…erm…funny." His voice trailed to an indistinct mumble that swallowed the last few words. However, Snape still managed to catch what he said.

"I see," he said shortly. Then, turning to the rest of the class, he dismissed them, informing them that their books would be beyond rescue and that they should receive replacements by dinner.

"Schwarz, stay behind," said Professor Snape in a glacial voice.

Draco shot James a look of apology that was mixed with utter confusion before he turned and left, Blaise and Pansy at his side. James could only close his eyes and prepare himself for the impending explosion.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I do not care for liars in my House, Schwarz."

James stood in front of Professor Snape's desk, his head bowed and his hands clasped in front of him. He remained silent.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?" said Snape, his voice still icy and foreboding.

James raised his head and opened his mouth to speak, but kept his eyes on the desk in front of him. "I'm sorry Professor," he said meekly. "I didn't think the reaction would be so violent; I don't know what came over me."

Snape stared calculatingly at the boy who stood in front of him, before flicking his wand at the door, which shut firmly.

"_Potter_, you will tell me the truth unless you prefer to explain to your housemates why Slytherin has lost one hundred points in one evening and as a result is in third place behind Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."

James' mouth dropped open before he grinned wryly, realising that Snape had caught up with the weakness behind his lie. _Well, it was good while it lasted_, he thought.

However, he still spoke with great reluctance.

"It wasn't me. Someone else-"

"Will I be correct in assuming that the '_someone else'_ was Mr Malfoy?"

Surprise flashed over James' face. "They really disliked – I mean dislike each other that much, don't they?" said James with realization. "I mean, to create such a violent explosion; if you hadn't seen it…" James trailed off.

Snape nodded, but also added, "I do not think that Mr Malfoy has quite the same grasp on Potions that you do. He was most likely unaware of the reaction that resulted from his actions. He and Mr Potter have always sought to embarrass the other, but I do not think he would purposely try to inflict any serious injuries."

He noted the thoughtful look that briefly flashed across James' face before dismissing him, too. However, just as James reached the door, he called out, "Three weeks of detention Schwarz, starting from tomorrow evening at seven. You will meet me in the Potions classroom."

James stiffened as he heard the punishment and he almost spun around, a scathing retort on the tip of his tongue. But he caught himself just in time, and although his eyes were slightly narrowed, he turned slowly, nodded respectfully and left, taking care to close the door quietly.

Seated in the office, Snape regarded the closed door with a raised eyebrow. _Perhaps he takes after his mother_, he thought. _Yes, that must be it_.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was at the end of the day, during the lull between lessons and dinner that Draco saw, or rather, heard James again. He had had lessons with some of the other Slytherins but chose not to work with them, instead partnering with Ravenclaws when necessary.

"MALFOY!"

The loud and extremely annoyed voice rang through the Slytherin Common Room. The students there all looked up to see James enter, his face an emotionless mask except his eyes, which were narrowed and flashing. His wand was in his hand.

Draco looked up from where he was seated, at the back of the room. All survival instincts told him to flee, but pride demanded he stay. James, having caught sight of Draco's distinctive hair, swiftly made his way over to him. Draco's eyes widened and he quickly retrieved his wand from the table in front of him. Blaise and Theodore, who had been sitting next to Draco, wisely moved away.

James glided over to the dimly-lit corner and sat down, his long legs casually stretched out in front of him. He twirled his wand between his fingers and cocked his head.

"Best way of locating someone; bellow out their name and they're always certain to respond somehow." He continued to stare at Draco, but didn't make any moves to hex the other boy. Confused, Draco frowned and lowered his wand slightly.

James still did not move, seemingly content to observe Draco, who was starting to fidget under the intense stare. Then suddenly, still twirling his wand, James spoke.

"Did you know that would happen?" he asked.

Draco blinked. He shuffled slightly before hesitantly saying, "Sort of," before he quickly added, "But I didn't know the reaction would be _that_ violent, honestly."

James' stare intensified, and Draco felt a slight probing tickle on his mind, which withdrew after only a heartbeat. _He used legillimancy on me!_ thought Draco, his eyes widening before he blinked and turned away.

After another long moment of uncomfortable silence, Draco looked up to see James grinning apologetically at him.

"Sorry Draco," said James. "I just had to know if you were telling the truth. Look, the only reason I helped Potter was because it was clearly not his fault; _you_ chucked the daisy root in, after all and he almost got chucked out of the class. I knew Snape wouldn't take points away from Slytherin, and he already doesn't like me anyway, so maybe it wasn't a win-win situation, but I didn't really have anything to lose," he explained.

Now it was Draco's turn to be silent as he thought over James' words. James didn't say anything; instead he pulled a book out of his robes and started to read. Draco eyed the wand that was still tucked in between the book and James' hand and took in the boy's relaxed position.

"James," started Draco. James looked up from the book.

"Hmm?"

"Look, I'm sorry for nearly killing P- on second thoughts; I'm sorry for nearly causing injury to the class, most specifically to you, as you were the nearest person to Potter's cauldron, well, apart from Potter. It was meant to be a joke, it wasn't malicious. Sorry James. You're not so bad, besides, don't really want you going around and confirming all those rumours about Slytherin, right?"

Draco was strangely tongue-tied. He wasn't used to apologizing but he knew that this time, he was most definitely in the wrong.

James regarded him for a moment before finally saying, "Okay Draco, you're forgiven." Draco managed to produce a confident smirk, but it was wiped off his face because James' wand was raised and a smug grin on his face. Draco's eyes widened and he hastily moved to avoid the bright jet of light, but he wasn't quite fast enough.

All in the Slytherin Common Room burst out laughing as a smirking James Schwarz hightailed it out of the Common Room, pursued by a Draco Malfoy who was decked out in full dress robes, albeit red with gold polka-dots, wand brandished and curses flying.


	5. Chapter 4

**The-Boy-From-The-Future**

**Disclaimer**: I do not and never will own Harry Potter or other associated characters and ideas.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"There's something…off about that new boy, you know, Professor Snape's nephew." Hermione Granger frowned as she neatly skewered a piece of fish and potato on the end of her fork.

"Wha' d'ou mea'?" asked Ron around a mouthful of salmon.

Hermione just shot him a patient look across the table and waited for him to finish chewing.

Ron swallowed and then repeated, "What do you mean? I mean, apart from him being related to the greasy git." Hermione thinned her lips for a moment before she deliberately turned her attention back to Harry.

"Well, for a start, he actually, well not quite _defended_ you, but...he took the blame for the explosion in Potions this morning," started Hermione, clearly warming up for a long discussion. However, she was interrupted.

"Hermione," said Harry, "We've been through this, someone _did_ chuck a daisy root into my cauldron, and it _definitely_ came from Schwarz's direction. Maybe he just felt guilty for nearly killing the class?"

"Are you sure you didn't muck the potion up by yourself, Harry?" said Ron. At Harry's offended, "_Hey_!" he quickly added, "Well, maybe your hand slipped or something…"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "No, Harry definitely didn't make any mistakes; I checked it throughout the brewing process and it was perfect, so the explosion definitely wasn't Harry's fault. What _I'm_ curious about is the reason for Schwarz to take the blame."

The three pondered her words in silence after that. But as they left the Hall, Harry swept his eyes over the Slytherin table and noticed that neither Schwarz nor Malfoy were there. He spotted Crabbe and Goyle quite easily, as well as Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode, but there was no sign of either of the boys.

He shrugged internally, why did he care what either boy was up to?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Schwarz, I swear on Merlin and all my ancestors, Malfoy _and_ Black, if you don't get this ridiculous hex off me-"

"Shush, Draco," said James distractedly. "I'm _trying_ to remember the counter-curse, but it's a bit difficult with you whining all the time."

Although he looked as if he wanted to continue, the glare that Draco was sending his way was enough to stifle any further witty retorts.

"Well?" said Draco, after a few more minutes of impatient silence where James swished his wand in odd patterns.

James bit his bottom lip worriedly and glanced up at his new friend.

"Well, thing is, if it's _right_, then you go back to normal, no more polka dots or red and gold." He did not elaborate, so Draco was forced to ask, with forced patience, "And if it's _wrong_?"

"You get black and yellow stripes and since it's the only thing I can come up with at the moment…"

Draco stared incredulously at James before taking a deep, overly theatrical breath.

"Do it," he said, screwing his eyes up as if expecting a painful blow.

The next moment Draco felt a gentle tingling all over his body. He strained his ears to catch stifled sniggers but, not hearing anything for the next minute or so, he braced himself and cracked open an eye.

_Black…sweet Salazar, I'm a _Hufflepuff, he thought morosely until his brain processed the fact that the sleeve he was squinting at was _entirely_ black and not at all punctuated by canary yellow.

His eyes flew open when he heard what sounded suspiciously like a muffled snort and he was met with the sight of a pained James Schwarz, who upon noticing Draco's annoyance, burst out into loud giggles.

"Oh Merlin, you actually thought I'd turn your robes…" another giggling fit cut him off.

Draco's eyes narrowed and he sniffed imperiously.

"Of course not, don't be silly, Schwarz. I had complete faith in your abilities."

James responded with a smirk and looked down at his wristwatch.

"Come on, Spots. Time for dinner," he said, getting up and moving towards the door.

"What do you mean, '_Spots'_?" snapped Draco.

"Actually, we're late. No wonder I was feeling hungry," said James airily, striding confidently through the corridors towards the Great Hall and completely ignoring Draco.

"Schwarz," growled Draco threateningly.

James turned to respond with a cheeky smirk and walked straight into his father as he turned round the corner.

The two collided with a painful thud, and James leapt back, holding a hand up to his temple, partially mirroring Harry, who had an equally painful throbbing on the bridge of his nose.

"OW!" said Harry through his fingers. "Thab hurb'd."

James just glared at Harry as Ron and Hermione caught up. Upon seeing Harry with blood streaming through his fingers and two Slytherins on the scene, Ron whipped out his wand, Draco just a beat behind.

"Are you alright Harry?" asked a worried Hermione exactly at the same time that Ron muttered a spell under his breath, which he aimed at Draco, seeing as James was slumped against a wall with his head cradled between his hands.

Draco deflected the hex with a quick "_Protego_," and followed up with "_Confundo_." Ron ducked, the curse dissipating on the stone wall behind him and returned with "_Expelliarmus_."

However, at that exact moment, Draco shouted out the same spell and they were both hit at the same time; their wands flying out of their hands as they were thrown backwards to land painfully on their backs a few feet away.

"RON!" shouted both Harry and Hermione. Harry scrambled over, although he still held a hand over his bleeding nose, hot on Hermione's heels. James had also moved over to Draco's side, albeit slower than Hermione and Harry as he was still feeling woozy.

Fortunately, both Ron and Draco were only slightly stunned and had no serious injuries. Both found their wands and were quickly on their feet again.

Unfortunately, Professor Snape chose that very moment to make an appearance.

"Well, well, Potter. Brawling again, I see," he said, completely ignoring the fact that Ron and Draco had unsuccessfully tried to hide their wands. He sneered when he saw Harry's bloody nose. "You'd better get that nose seen to, Potter. Detention with Mr Filch tomorrow at seven. Oh, and thirty points from Gryffindor for instigating a fight in the corridor."

"That's completely unfair," blurted out Ron, before either Harry or Hermione could stop him. "It was Schwarz who started the whole thing, not Harry."

Snape's sneer disappeared and instead he looked murderous. "Twenty points for talking back to me, Weasley, and you can join Potter tomorrow evening."

Draco was smirking triumphantly at the three Gryffindors as he twirled his wand in his hand. However it disappeared when Professor Snape abandoned the usual script.

"And don't think I didn't notice you Schwarz. I'd have hoped that Mr Malfoy would be a good influence on you rather than the other way round. Though I suppose with your father that would have been too much to ask, wouldn't it?" said Snape nastily as he swept past the five, his gaze lingering significantly on Harry.

Once Snape was out of sight, James rolled his eyes at Draco and said, "Come on, let's go eat, then I need some headache stuff from Pomfrey."

Three pairs of eyes followed the two Slytherins as they walked away, one of the Slytherins completely dumbfounded. A heavy silence hung in the air. It was Hermione who broke the silence.

"I wonder who Professor Snape was talking about," she said slowly with a gleam in her eyes. Ron and Harry frowned at her, as they hadn't caught the significant look that Snape threw in Harry's direction.

"What do you mean Hermione?" he asked. And then in a strained voice as he touched his nose tenderly, he added, "And can you explain on the way to Madam Pomfrey?"

Hermione nodded.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hermione didn't actually do much explaining on the walk to the hospital wing. In the end, she found herself examining theories in her mind and discarding them one by one until she was left with the most plausible theory.

Harry and Ron had noticed her reluctance to share the half thought-through idea, and so the short journey was instead filled with Ron's descriptions of Fred and George's new products.

However, once they left the hospital wing, Harry's nose perfectly mended with the tap of a wand, Hermione reached a conclusion. To the aggravation of her two best friends, she refused to talk to them in the corridors and insisted on returning to Gryffindor Tower before she would say anything.

The Common Room was nearly full, but the three managed to find a squashy sofa and some large cushions by the fireplace.

"Alright, I know this sounds completely crazy, but well, at first when Professor Snape made all those snide remarks about Schwarz's father, I assumed it was some sort of family feud, Schwarz being his nephew and all." The others nodded.

"But the thing is, Professor Snape doesn't have any siblings, according to Lavender." At the smiles playing on Harry and Ron's lips, she hastily added, "And Seamus and Neville."

"Oh." There was a short pause.

"Maybe it's his cousin's _son_," said Ron in a surprisingly reasonable tone.

Hermione shook her head. "No, I thought about that too, and actually, that's how I originally thought they were related. But then just now in the corridor, when he started making all those snide remarks about fathers and such, he looked straight at Harry. Almost as if he were talking about Harry or _someone close to him_."

Now it was Harry's turn to shake his head. "He _always_ taunts me about my dad, Hermione. It's not a new thing."

Hermione was however, adamant that she was right. "No, the thing is, I think he _was_ talking about Schwarz's father. I'm also fairly certain that Schwarz is not really his nephew. I noticed him staring at you when he was talking about Schwarz's father, Harry-"

"Hermione, are you trying to imply that Harry has a long-lost twin brother or something?" said Ron, half-laughing.

"_No_, Ron. Look, do either of you know any German?"

"Umm…no, Hermione. And why are you changing the subject?"

"I'm not changing the subject. I'm taking a very logical route," said Hermione.

Her two friends looked at her sceptically.

"_Schwarz_ is a colour…Harry, didn't _you_ do a modern language in primary school?"

"Erm, yes. French, in Year 6."

"Oh…alright then. Anyway, as I was saying, _'schwarz' is the colour black in German_."

However, she was met with blank stares.

"Oh, honestly; who did Professor Snape absolutely _hate_ while he was in school?"

"Well, my dad, Prof - Remus, Sirius -"

Harry's eyes widened in tandem with Ron's.

"Sirius _Black_," they said.

Hermione nodded triumphantly.

* * *

Right, this chapter's shockingly short, but there have been difficulties trying to plan out the rest of it, and then when it came to writing it, everything seemed so stilted. Hopefully it's readable, and the next chapter _will_ be longer and of better quality. 

Thanks for reading and please review!


	6. Chapter 5

**The-Boy-From-The-Future**

**Disclaimer**: I do not and never will own Harry Potter or other associated characters and ideas.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

The object of Hermione's intense focus was trying to eat his dinner while ignoring a pounding headache and a chattering Pansy Parkinson on his left. Hearing a snicker from in front of him, he looked up too quickly and nearly passed out.

"Schwarz, maybe you should have gone straight to the hospital wing," said Draco worriedly, noticing James' dizzy spell.

Millicent, who had stopped snickering, frowned and said, "What happened to you? You like you've walked into a wall."

Draco smirked cruelly as he buttered his toast. "Close, Bulstrode, close. He walked into Potter."

Millicent winced.

"I think you ought to go see Madam Pomfrey," said Pansy, who had stopped chatting to Daphne Greengrass. "You look quite ill."

"Mmm," said James, gently massaging his right temple, his eyes shut before he stood up gingerly, holding onto the table for support.

"Do you need any help?" said Pansy. Draco and Blaise had stopped munching to observe James.

"'M fine," said James, walking determinedly away from the Slytherin table and out of the Great Hall.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Madam Pomfrey?" said a weak voice.

Poppy Pomfrey poked her head out of her office. "Yes, dear, just coming."

James rested on the edge of the closest bed and held his aching head in his hand. He looked up and smiled weakly when Madam Pomfrey bustled up to him.

"I need something for my head Madam Pomfrey. I walked into someone on the way to dinner," he said sheepishly.

"It wouldn't be Mr Potter that you walked into, would it?" she asked as she tapped the indicated spot gently with the tip of her wand. The pain in James' head immediately lessened.

James just nodded silently in relief.

"Hmm," commented Madam Pomfrey. She left and returned with a small vial. "Take this just before you go to bed. You've eaten, haven't you?"

When James shook his head, she tutted and pushed him bodily towards a hospital bed.

"Erm, it's alright, I'm sure my friends saved something for me," said James hurriedly, not wanting to spend the night in the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey didn't deign acknowledge his feeble excuse and instead drew back a curtain to reveal a bed, cabinet, table and chair. Directing him to the chair, she tapped the table four times with her wand. After only a few seconds, there was a loud 'pop' and a bowl of thick vegetable soup and some bread appeared. A second 'pop' and a goblet of pumpkin juice sat next to the soup.

"There," said Madam Pomfrey. "Pyjamas, toothbrush and towel are on the bed, and don't forget to take your potion," she said sternly. However, her tone did soften when she left saying, "I just want to keep an eye on you; make absolutely certain that you're alright." She paused. "If you need anything, I'll be in my office."

Sighing audibly, James tore off a piece of bread and proceeded to eat the soup, which was actually very tasty. However, just before he drained the goblet of pumpkin juice, he had a thought. Uncorking the vial, he took a deep breath before downing the foul-tasting potion. Only then did he quickly gulp down his pumpkin juice, grateful to have something on hand to counteract the potion's nasty aftertaste.

It wasn't long before James was ready for bed. Sliding under the warm blankets and resting his head on the fluffy pillow, he shut his eyes and fell into a deep sleep immediately.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

James woke up early, his headache completely gone. After being seen by Madam Pomfrey, he swiftly made his way back down to the dungeons, hoping to get a quick shower before he ate.

Deciding to take a shortcut he knew of, he managed to shave off a good five minutes of the long walk back. However, just as he emerged from the tapestry, he belatedly realised that he'd come out right in the middle of the Gryffindors' route to the Great Hall.

"Harry, Ron, it's him!" said a very familiar voice from behind him. Quickening his pace, James shouldered his way through a group of Second Years and managed to make it to the staircase just before it started to swing round. Risking a quick peek back, he smirked inwardly when he saw that Harry, Ron and Hermione were scowling at the uncooperative staircase.

"Morning all," said James to his friends at the Slytherin table.

"Schwarz, how are you?" asked Draco, dropping his toast in surprise as James sauntered into the Great Hall and eased himself between Draco and Blaise.

"Much better, thanks. Madam Pomfrey sorted out the headache in no time, but then she found out I hadn't eaten dinner so I couldn't take some foul potion and so I was made to stay the night so she could 'keep an eye on me'. Tell me, is she always like that?"

Blaise chuckled and nodded. "Be glad you don't play Quidditch, Schwarz. You'd probably never get out of the hospital wing otherwise, if you really are as clumsy as you make yourself out to be."

"Hey!" said James with a slight frown. "Why can't I play Quidditch?" he continued, after Blaise rolled his eyes at James' sensitivity. Although he knew very well that the Quidditch trials were over, James couldn't resist asking his new friends.

"Trials are over," said Draco. "Unless we have a major injury or something, the team's all sorted for the year."

"Oh. So who's on the team?" asked James.

Draco smirked. "Well, I'm captain and Seeker, Crabbe and Goyle over there are Beaters..." Draco trailed off as he scanned the rest of the table. "Can't see the rest of the team, of course, anyway, you'll see them at our next match."

"I see," said James, smiling slyly at Draco. "At least I now know who to incapacitate in order to get onto the team," he continued.

"And who's that?" asked Millicent, who sat across the table.

James simply jerked his head to his left, leaving the others who were listening to the conversation to stifle their laughter.

"Well that was smart, Schwarz. The minute I get an injury, everyone's going to blame you now," said Draco and although he was smirking with his usual confidence, he was watching James warily.

"Relax, Malfoy," said James. "I'm not going to lurk in the corners of the Common Room and hex you when your back's turned."

"No," said Draco dryly. "You'll stand in the middle of the Common Room and hex me in full sight of the House, and then _conveniently_ forget the counter-curse."

"You're not still on about the stripes, are you?" asked Pansy, from Draco's left.

"_Polka dots_, Pansy, they were _polka dots_," snapped Draco irritably.

"You're just so easy to bait," she responded, cheekily winking at him.

Draco just shook his head in defeat and turned to speak to James and Blaise.

"So what's your first lesson?" he asked.

James fumbled with his pockets for a bit before extracting an extremely crumpled bit of parchment. After smoothening it out next to his cereal bowl, James ran a finger down, stopping at the blank space that appeared immediately after 'Breakfast'.

"Erm, looks like a free period to me," he said. Blaise leaned over and inspected the timetable.

"Yup, you've got a free lesson with me. D'you want to meet up in the library?"

"Sounds good," said James, folding the parchment up into a neat square. "How about you, Draco?"

"Ancient Runes," he muttered. "And I can't seem to find - oh don't worry. Found it." A neat roll of parchment was set next to the still crumpled square that was James' timetable.

"Malfoy, is that your Runes homework?" asked Theodore Nott from further down the table.

Draco looked up, nodded, and then said, "No, Nott, you may not read my translation."

Nott looked mildly offended before shrugging.

James turned his attention back to Blaise and Millicent, who were comparing properties of certain potions ingredients and breakfast flew by.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"There he is."

"Where?"

"There, Ronald, next to Malfoy."

"Oh." There was a pause. "They're really chummy, aren't they? S- Padfoot wouldn't have been too happy, would he?"

"He's in _Slytherin_, Ron. If he didn't want to get hexed into next week, he'd _have_ to be chummy with Malfoy."

"Quiet, you two. How are we going to get his attention without Malfoy?"

"Well, I suppose Harry could get into a fight with Malfoy- _oww_! What was _that_ for?"

"Harry is _not_ going to get into a fight with Malfoy. Schwarz'll probably just jump in and help Malfoy."

"Good point."

"How about we just walk up to him and ask to have a talk in private?"

"You know, Harry, at the moment, that sounds like the only sensible plan we've come up with."

"Thank you, Hermione."

"My pleasure, Harry."

"Hey mate, that's my girlfriend you're making eyes at."

"I- hey, Malfoy's leaving. Come on, we'd better get Schwarz before he disappears into the dungeons again."

"Well, we could always go down and get him…no? Ok, fine, fine, just joking."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Maybe I'll see you at lunch, then," said James before he turned away from Draco. The two had bumped into each other (not literally) in the corridor as James left the library. Blaise had disappeared earlier with a Ravenclaw girl, so James was alone until he met Draco ,who was complaining about botching a translation in Ancient Runes, '_when that _Mudblood_ Granger managed to get a perfect score'_.

Not taking too kindly Draco's reference to his Aunt Hermione's heritage, James had significantly cooled the tone of his voice, and Draco, taking the hint, decided to leave.

James walked a few feet down the corridor before he stopped and pulled out his very battered timetable. _Arithmancy_, proclaimed the crumpled bit of parchment, and James sighed. Roughly shoving the timetable back into the pocket of his robes, James made to leave when he heard someone calling his name.

"Schwarz," said Harry awkwardly.

"Potter," echoed James.

"Erm…well, it's just that we were wondering -"

"I don't mean to be rude, Potter," interrupted James, "But I need to get to Arithmancy, and as I'm not entirely sure where the classroom is, I need to set off earlier than most."

"Oh," said Harry, stumped. "Erm…"

"I'll show you the way," said Hermione brightly. "And Harry and Ron don't have anything next lesson, so they usually walk me to my class."

James seemed to hesitate for a second, but then he blinked and nodded.

There was complete silence on the walk to the Arithmancy classroom. Once they reached the door, Harry and Ron muttered goodbyes to Hermione and James and quickly left without another word.

The lesson passed blissfully. James adored Arithmancy and that fact was quite clear to the Professor Vector of this time too, who soon began summoning James to the front to demonstrate the solutions to the trickier problems. James had thankfully chosen a seat next to a Ravenclaw girl called Padma (he thought that she looked rather like a girl a few years below him back in his time) and so was able to avoid Hermione for the entire period.

Unfortunately, his luck ran out at the end of the lesson. While James managed to avoid Hermione on the way out of the classroom, he had barely taken a few steps before two pairs of hands yanked him behind a tapestry, one hand quickly covering his mouth, and a muffled voice whispered, "_Petrificus totalus_."

James felt his hands slamming to his sides and his legs locking together rigidly, along with the rest of his body. Catching a flash of scarlet and gold from the corner of his eye, he groaned mentally, suddenly realising what had happened.

There was a slight rustle. James assumed that Hermione had entered the now very cramped alcove.

"Thanks, you two. He gave me the slip again."

"Don't worry, Hermione, he's obviously not a Slytherin for nothing."

"Erm…talking about Slytherins, d'you reckon he'd go blabbing off to Malfoy and that lot about this? I mean, it's just that we probably don't want an inter-house war going on in school to complement the one outside, and if -"

"Harry, if Schwarz is who we think he is, then he won't mind; besides, Hermione's got that potion just in case we're wrong, right?"

"Well, I'd rather _not_ have to use it, but Ron's right, we always have the potion for back-up. Besides, you've hexed Schwarz already, so…"

"Right, right. Well, we'd better stop wasting time and get moving. Erm…Hermione, can you open the door? He's not exactly light."

_Well, thanks a lot, Dad,_ thought James. He heard a muffled thud and felt himself being manoeuvred towards what was previously a stone wall. As he was facing down, the only thing he saw was rapidly moving floor.

Then, he felt his limbs being manipulated, and before long, he was sitting, bound, in a chair facing his future father, godfather and godmother.

"_Finite incantatum_," said Hermione.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?!" yelled James the second he had use of his mouth again. He struggled to free his hands, but they had done a good job of securing him to the chair. His attempt at rocking the chair to loosen the bonds only resulted in him being tipped over to the side.

Ron didn't even try to hide his snicker as Harry and Hermione quickly set him upright again. "Ron," said Hermione warningly.

Then, turning to James, she said with a pleading tone, "We're really sorry we had to do this, James. But you kept avoiding us. And we really, really have to ask you this question."

James kept his face expressionless.

Harry gulped before jumping in at the deep end.

"Are you Sirius Black's son?" he asked.

James jerked his head up in surprise. _What? Am I…? Great, just great. No wonder Professor Snape harped on about my father jumping to conclusions far too easily. What do I do now?_

_Just go for 'clueless'. That's it._

James arranged his face into a perfect (and true) expression of surprise and disbelief.

"Are you lot completely loony? Of course not!"

The three in front of him paused. Hermione was biting her lip, looking thoughtful. "Look, James, we understand it if you don't want anyone to know, but, look. Sirius was Harry's godfather, and…" She trailed off, looking towards Harry.

"James, if we've made a mistake, we're sorry. But if Sirius really is your father, then…well, I just thought it'd be nice to get to know you, that's all." He shrugged lightly.

James sighed. "Look, Potter. I'm not Sirius Black's son. Sorry to disappoint you. Now, if you just untie me, I swear, I won't mention this to anyone. I'll just pretend it never happened, okay?"

Looking deflated, Harry nodded and swished his wand, incanting softly under his breath. The bonds sprung free and James stood up, rotating his wrists. A short nod to the trio, and he left the room.

"Well," said Ron, speaking after the pregnant pause that followed the bang of the door. "Guess we were barking up the wrong tree then, weren't we?"

"Ron, now really isn't the time for jokes," said Hermione testily. Ron frowned at Harry who just shrugged again. "But I still think that…no, I _know _that Schwarz is hiding something. I just can't think _what_."

"Well Hermione, I'm sure you'll work it out eventually. Let's get out of this room, it's too dusty," said Harry, stifling a sneeze as he turned and moved towards the door.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The rest of James' day past without anymore interruptions. He went to lessons, ate with the Slytherins and, at five to seven, was stood outside the door to the Potions classroom.

At a quarter to twelve, he left the Potions room, massaging his hands in an attempt to ease the cramp in his right thumb that was a result of scraping and scrubbing countless cauldrons.

"Schwarz, how was detention?" asked Blaise when James wandered into the empty Slytherin Common Room.

James smiled wryly and said, "How do you expect detention to be?"

Instead of replying to James' question, Blaise said instead, with a wince, "Scrubbing cauldrons?"

"I'll survive," said James as he joined the other Slytherins in his year. "What are you lot up to, then?"

"Nothing much," said Draco casually. He, Blaise, Pansy and Millicent were grouped around a low table next to the fireplace. Several textbooks were laid out, and Draco and Pansy held quills. Rolls of parchment lay scattered around them.

"Doesn't look like 'nothing much' to me," said James as he stepped around Millicent to get a better look.

"It's just some…plans," said Blaise. "You look tired," he continued. "Why don't you go up to the dorm first? We won't be long."

James shook his head as he spun around. "Zabini, a four-year old could see through that. I know when I'm not wanted. You could've just said so."

The quartet stared at James' retreating back.

"Shouldn't someone -" began Pansy.

"No," interrupted Draco. "He's not bad, but we've known him for less than a week. We don't know what side he'd throw his support to." Draco looked seriously at his friends.

"We can be friends, but there's a high possibility that Jam-Schwarz could be a plant sent to spy on us. You have to admit, it's highly suspicious that we get a student in the middle of the year."

"That's true Draco, but he has an airtight explanation for that," countered Millicent.

"Still," said Draco. "It doesn't hurt to be careful."

* * *

Ok, so that was Chapter 5. Hope you enjoyed it; yes a longer chapter of better quality was promised and although there may be doubts about the quality, it was definitely longer. But then there are always those who support the 'Quality, not Quantity' arguement. So hopefully this was quality _and_ quantity. Best of both worlds :)

Right, stop babbling.

Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 6

**The-Boy-From-The-Future**

**Disclaimer**: I do not and never will own Harry Potter or other associated characters and ideas.

**A/N**: Ok, this chapter will probably be a bit confusing. That's because I wrote it without any help at all from Abi, who usually proof-reads everything I write, and then re-writes it again. But she's busy with coursework and other stuff (cough lurve cough), so I'm free to mutilate this story as I feel free.

Mwah hah hah.

Anyway, there's loads of new characters in this that I invented (based on people I know in school, hehe), so take it slow, and if you have time, let me know what you think of my writing compared to Abi's.

Is it better? (so I can gloat) Worse? (so - horror of horrors - she can gloat) Or the same (no one gloats).

(Incidentally, Abi wrote the first paragraph).

* * *

**Chapter 6**

James fumed.

He should've remembered that he couldn't possibly be accepted that easily, they were Slytherins after all, and practically trained to be suspicious.

But it still hurt him, both his feelings and his pride. He was used to having things his way – his late night escapades with illegal potions brewing an excellent example – and to be excluded from cosy get-togethers was a new experience.

Lying back and closing his eyes, he fell into an uneasy sleep, his thoughts whirling with scenes from earlier that day, interspersed with memories of his own friends from an easier, more carefree time.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Alex Dee was worried. And it took a lot to worry Alex Dee. Alex was made in the same mould as his predecessors, Fred and George Weasley, James Potter (father of Harry Potter) and Sirius Black.

In other words, he was generally a very cheerful, easygoing chap, whose idea of a good time was a game of Quidditch with his friends, either preceded or proceeded by a lavish prank on members of another house. Preferably planned and plotted with his best friend, James Potter (son of Harry Potter).

However, it was awfully hard to plot and plan when abovementioned best friend was missing.

Alex had already spoken twice to Professor McGonagall, twice to Professor Snape and three times to Mr. Potter.

It was all rather perplexing. He'd had a detention with Filch in the Great Hall, which then gravitated to a horrible, slimy corridor that lasted all evening, right up to five minutes before curfew. After sprinting back to the Common Room, so as to avoid another detention, Alex had immediately headed up to his dormitory, only to find Teddy and Amadeus fast asleep and James' bed empty. He'd returned to his favourite seat in front of the Common Room fire and waited for his friend, promptly falling asleep.

The next morning, James was nowhere to be seen. Alex didn't say anything at first, thinking that perhaps James had gone down to the kitchens to grab an 'alternative' breakfast, as he was known to do.

However, when James missed Arithmancy, Defence and Potions, Alex knew that something wasn't quite right.

Reporting the incident to Professor Snape probably ranked in the top three most nerve-wracking experiences of his life, although strangely enough, the Professor hadn't reacted quite as violently as he'd thought he would.

Instead, the man had thanked Alex for alerting him and immediately dismissed him. However, while Alex was halfway out the door, he distinctly heard Professor Snape say, "12 Grimmauld Place!"

That was James' home, thought Alex. Why would…oh. Idiot! If James is missing, it's obvious that Professor Snape would inform James' parents. Now stop worrying!

It was after his second meeting with Professor Snape, who insisted on dissecting his third conversation with James' father, that Alex found himself wandering along the stone corridor, deep in thought. In fact, he was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the other boy who'd just swept round the corner, muttering angrily under his breath.

The two collided with such force that they both fell back onto the ground, clutching their heads and glaring at each other.

_Solly Malfoy_, thought Alex. _Just the thing I need._

"Watch it, Dee," snapped Solly, rubbing a sore spot on his forehead.

"Likewise," drawled Alex, although with considerably less venom than usual. It was difficult to appear intimidating when you had an egg-sized bruise on your head that caused you to go slightly cross-eyed.

However, as Alex made to get up, he caught sight of a glint of gold in the corner of his eye. Squinting, he fumbled slightly before he realised that whatever it was, it was embedded in the ground.

"What are you doing, Dee?" asked Solly, who'd also more or less recovered.

"Spotted something," said Alex, intent on clearing the powdery substance from the gold glint.

Solly leaned forward. Suddenly, he snatched Alex's hand back.

"You idiot! That's a potions spill. And now you've got that stuff all over yourself."

Alex rolled his eyes. Without warning, he flicked some of what was now clearly the dried remains of a gluey potion straight into Solly's face.

Solly's face contorted in an odd mixture of anger and disgust.

"You…you…," he trailed off, clearly at a lost for words.

Alex just smirked and went back to his attempt to work out what the metallic speck was.

Solly watched him irritably. "What the hell was that stuff that you chucked at me, Dee?" he said through clenched teeth.

"Merlin, Malfoy. A bit of a compulsive cleaner, are you?"

Solly's only response was to huff angrily. He brought out his wand and tapped the spot on the floor roughly.

But before Solly could utter the incantation for whatever cleaning spell he'd decided to use, the metallic speck began to glow. A heartbeat later, a bright light engulfed the area.

A moment later, and the only sign that anything had occurred there was a faint glow above the spot where the pair knelt. But a mere moment after that, the glow had faded, leaving only an empty, albeit dusty corridor.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was deathly quiet. Only the faint whisper of the breeze outside could be heard and shadows enveloped the corridors. Moonlight from a crescent moon spilled feebly through the windows, shading everything in a silvery glow.

Protecting two sides of the borders was a dense forest, into which anti-apparition and Portkey wards stood. But the wards only extended into the humanly navigable parts of the forest, so about half a mile in, the wards stopped.

This was not a case of carelessness or sloth; rather it was both unnecessary, as well as plain impossible to stretch the wards any further. The forest was a tangled web of thorns and branches that not even a dozen powerful blasting hexes could cut through.

Apparating or portkeying in would result in severe slashing, and swift death, as many of the thorns carried potent poison.

The defences here were just as strong as Hogwarts'; in fact, in addition to Aurors, curse-breakers and wards specialists, several knowledgeable wizards, including Albus Dumbledore had had a hand at building them.

Of course, no one dreamt that a _rat_ would Portkey into the thorny forest.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Did you hear that?"

"Go back to sleep, Ella."

"I'm being serious, Anna. Wake up!"

"Alright, alright." A slight rustling indicated sheets being thrown back. "What?" The irritation was clear in Anna's voice.

"I think someone's trying to break into the school," proclaimed Ella.

Anna stared at her for two heartbeats. Then, she flung herself back onto the downy bed and pulled the duvet up over her head.

"I am being serious, Anna. We've got to raise the alarm."

A muffled voice carried its way across the dark room. "And why hasn't anyone else noticed, then?"

"There's only six of us on this side of the house. Katie and Mick sleep like rocks, Laura and Sandy tend to sleep with the wireless on and you just pretend that you're dreaming the noise."

"Ok. Fine. We'll tell Professor Truman."

Slipping noiselessly into thick robes, the two girls made their way down and across the house to their housemistress' apartments. Stopping outside the white wooden door, they paused and glanced at each other.

"You _were_ the one who heard the 'noise'," said Anna, scepticism still clear in her voice and on her face.

Ella grumbled, but still raised her hand and pressed the little button embedded in the wall next to the doorframe.

A few seconds later and the willowy form of Professor Truman appeared in the doorway, blinking sleepily.

"What's the matter, girls?" she asked worriedly.

"Well, Ella heard a 'noise' so we thought we'd let you know," stated Anna in a matter-of-fact tone.

Ella glared at her. "I heard…a thud. You know how all the noise carries up to our room? Well, I distinctly heard some male voices, but they were cut off suddenly, like…"

"Like if someone cast a silencing charm," said Anna, her eyes widening. Then, they narrowed. "You didn't tell me you heard someone _talking_," she hissed, annoyance clear in the tone of her voice.

Professor Truman cleared her throat. "I'll inform the Headmaster, girls, but there shouldn't be anything to worry about; the alarms haven't been -"

With perfect timing, the professor was cut off by a shrill ringing directly above them. A moment later, the high-pitched whine was joined by a lower-toned, but equally loud klaxon, which in turn was joined by a traditional bell.

Professor Truman's sleepy demeanour vanished in an instant, and she had her wand out, closely followed by Anna and Ella.

In no time at all, sleepy girls wrapped in thick robes, and some in duvets trailed down the stairs; a few had their wands out, but the majority were unarmed.

The professor tapped seven times on her doorframe, which flickered twice and then fell into a neat coil of rope. Once she'd done a headcount and made sure that everyone had a grip on the rope, Truman said, "Chamber," and twenty-three girls and a professor disappeared.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Across Durovernum, students and professors alike were panicking. The alarm had been triggered by a careless Death Eater, who tripped on a trip jinx set up by the narrow river that wound its way along the school's boundaries. All pupils were forbidden from going within ten feet of the river, for fear of expulsion and the snapping of their wand. No wildlife dared venture near the area either – a direct result of a botched potions accident that imbued the soil around there with a magical poison that targeted bare skin or fur.

Therefore, the river alarm was considered fairly reliable.

Each of the four houses were directly linked by Portkey to a chamber that was located near the foundations of the school – the very last place any enemies would gain entry to. Only students and faculty were keyed into the wards; anyone else would disintegrate upon contact.

Unfortunately, the intricate security systems didn't take traitors into account…

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Oswald Price was a good-looking boy, who excelled at his studies and Quidditch. However, he was also horribly disgruntled because he had not been chosen as a 'Violet' at the beginning of his last year.

Nevertheless, he kept up the façade and went about his duties as a simple corridor monitor.

But when he was approached the previous summer regarding ways to further himself, Oswald jumped at the chance. Guaranteed a high posting in the Ministry upon leaving Durovernum, Oswald, without hesitation, agreed to carry a small, gold amulet with him at all times, including down into the Chamber, if that were ever necessary.

It was through that particular piece of jewellery that the Death Eaters would gain access into Durovernum's foundations.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Durmstrang was widely thought to be a recruiting ground for Voldemort's followers. Although the students did learn practical Dark Arts, and many of them openly admitted to prejudice against Muggleborns and Half-bloods, their primary loyalty was to the school.

The headmaster who took over after Karkaroff's sudden absence was one of the strongest advocates of this idea of loyalty to Durmstrang, thus immediately eliminating the option of joining Voldemort.

Headmaster Fota made himself an enemy of Voldemort, proclaiming to be against the Dark Lord despite having so many similarities in policies related to blood purity and magic, so when Voldemort decided to strike at European magical schools, Durmstrang was one of those at the top of the list.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Beauxbatons was one of the most glittering bastions of the light. Headmistress Madame Maxime openly supported Albus Dumbledore's war against the Death Eaters and the curriculum at Beauxbatons had a very strong Defence Against the Dark Arts syllabus.

However, its main failure was an overemphasis on personal defence, neglecting the defence of large groups or communities.

So it was no surprise when the twinkling, silvery towers of Beauxbatons were brought down with strategically placed explosives on the same night that three other magical schools were attacked.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next morning, Hogwarts found itself the host of many unexpected guests, two of whom were not even in the right time.

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So...what do you think? If you're confused, don't worry, the next chapter will clear things up. And it was meant to be all disjointed in my feeble attempt to represent the chaos of Voldemort's attacks. ;) 


	8. Chapter 7

**The-Boy-From-The-Future**

**Disclaimer**: I do not and never will own Harry Potter or other associated characters and ideas.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

When the early risers of Hogwarts walked into the Great Hall the next morning, they were astounded to see two more long tables set up there. Of course, the next thing they noticed were the simple black banners that adorned the Hall instead of the usual colourful decorations, so despite the small group, in no time at all the Great Hall was filled with the sounds of frantic whispering.

The moment James walked into the Hall with the other Sixth Year Slytherins, his mind went back to the newspaper cutting his father had showed him when he was still very small; only about five or six. He remembered his boredom at the mention of an event so far in the past, as, for a child of his age, the solemnity of the situation evaded him entirely.

But when he sat down next to Blaise, he noticed the other boy's copy of the Prophet resting on the toast rack. He realised that the front page was the exact cutting his father had shown him, and so it was with a significantly deeper interest that he scanned the article that was squeezed below the picture of a crumbling Beauxbatons; the Dark Mark shining brightly above the ruins.

_DEATH EATERS STRIKE AGAIN!_

_The European magic schools of Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and even the secretive Durovernum were brutally attacked by the followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named early this morning. The attacks were launched simultaneously at around three this morning (British time), surely an attempt to catch the abovementioned schools off-guard. _

_However, the levels of destruction vary from school to school. While the buildings of Durmstrang escaped with minor damage, the famed towers of Beauxbatons were completely destroyed; beyond even magical repair. Naturally, there were significant injuries, with Deputy Headmaster Pierre Henry among the dead. About four-fifths of the school has perished, therefore severely depleting France's pool of young witches and wizards. _

_Even more tragically, the entire teaching staff of Durmstrang perished in an attempt to mount a last stand, so ensuring the escape of the students. However, only a third of the student population survived the escape, amongst them David Fota, son of the late headmaster of Durmstrang, Professor Alex Fota. _

_And although there are no official reports yet released on the condition of Durovernum, many experts speculate that although the faculty and students were forced to evacuate, the school itself is well protected with not only defensive charms but also numerous offensive spell-work. So we can only assume that those from the mysterious and elite school will soon be returning to their secluded fortress._

_All the survivors of the attack are currently taking shelter at a yet unknown location. But what will be the repercussions of this violent attack? Will the Ministries of Magic finally take action against these rogue wizards or will they continue to ignore all the warning signs that You-Know-Who has, without a doubt, returned?_

As more of the school entered the Hall, the whispers grew louder and soon evolved into a buzzing chatter. However, it ceased immediately at the ringing sound of metal against a crystal goblet.

"Your attention, please," spoke the gentle tones of Professor Dumbledore. His eyes were no longer twinkling and instead had acquired a sad glaze. "You have all read or heard of the tragic events that have taken place across Europe."

He was interrupted by a raised muttering, which quickly subsided when he raised an aged hand.

"Hogwarts will be playing host to the survivors of the attacks; both staff and students. They will be arriving this evening and I hope you will extend a warm welcome to them and treat them all with the utmost consideration and respect."

There was a deathly silence as Dumbledore sat down, and for once, it did not erupt into the usual chatter. The rest of breakfast continued in complete silence, and once they had finished eating, the students left quietly in small groups.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The tone of the day was set that breakfast. Everyone spent the day in a sombre mood, and the weather outside seemed to mimic the dreary atmosphere inside the castle. By the time lessons were over, heavy, grey clouds had gathered in the sky over Hogwarts, creating an inky reflection in the lake. Deep shadows were cast and the flickering torches lent a spooky feel to the corridors.

James wandered from lesson to lesson, the general dour mood affecting the group of Slytherins he went around with. By the time dinner came around, many of the students were rather nervously chatting in small groups outside the doors to the Great Hall.

The doors swung open to admit them. Inside, the black hangings that were present at breakfast and lunch still hung there. However, the biggest change was the fact that the two extra tables were filled with people, all wearing black Hogwarts robes. Up at the High Table, many new faces were to be seen and it was clear that the long table had been extended to accommodate the extra people.

James silently took his place at the Slytherin table, sitting between Blaise and Millicent this time. Like all the other Hogwarts students, he was observing the newcomers. When finally everyone had arrived (and it didn't take long for that), Professor Dumbledore stood.

"Welcome all," he started. "On behalf of Hogwarts, I welcome those of you from Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and Durovernum."

Turning slightly to his right, he nodded to a regal and very large lady with black eyes, and a man with dark, greying hair.

"Madame Maxime, Professor Rossi; I hope you and your students are comfortable."

Both offered short nods, clearly still worn out from the attacks. Dumbledore then turned back to the school.

"Before we continue, I would like us all to observe a minute of silence for all who fell."

A hush fell over the hall and most students and teachers there bowed their heads. When the minute was up, Dumbledore spoke again.

"As our guests will be attending lessons at Hogwarts as part of the student body, they will all be sorted into a Hogwarts house. Our guest teachers will all take lessons as Hogwarts professors; new timetables will be given out tomorrow at breakfast. Now, the Sorting," he said, nodding to Professor McGonagall, who sat at his side. She rose and disappeared behind a door to the side of the High Table. Moments later, she returned with a low stool and the Sorting Hat.

"When I call your name, you will come up here and sit on the stool. I will then place the Sorting Hat on your head. Once the Hat has called out your house, you will sit at your house-table. Are there any questions?" she said.

When no hands were raised, she nodded smartly and unrolled a piece of parchment she extracted from her robe pockets.

It was soon clear that the new students were being sorted according to year. Depressingly, although there were three new schools, there didn't seem to be all that many new students, especially amongst the lower years. Finally, Professor McGonagall reached the Sixth Years.

"Abrosimova, Julia," she called out. A tall, slim girl with long, brown hair stepped up to the front. McGonagall had barely set the Hat on her head before it called out, "RAVENCLAW!"

Up to then, James hadn't really been paying attention. However, the next name made him sit up so sharply that he nearly knocked a golden fork off the table.

It wasn't the surname, rather, it was the first name.

"Baker, Solly."

A boy with dark brown hair walked up to the stool. The Hat was placed on his head, and it deliberated for a few heartbeats before it announced, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Applause came from the Gryffindor table as the dark-haired boy walked back down to them, taking a place next to Seamus Finnegan, who clapped him on the back cheerfully.

_It couldn't be_, thought James. But the next name confirmed it.

"Baker, Alex."

James' best friend strode up confidently to the stool where the Hat was set upon his head. Two seconds later, and he made his way over to the Slytherin table, a small smile playing across his lips.

Taking a seat between Millicent and James, he nodded in a friendly manner to the others around them.

"Blaise Zabini," said Blaise, stretching around James. "Welcome to Slytherin."

"Alex Baker, although you probably already know that," he replied, his eyes twinkling.

The Sorting was still going on, but the Hat was taking an abnormally long time deliberating over a girl with curly, strawberry blonde hair.

"Baker…is that a Pureblood name?" asked Draco, knowing full well it was not.

Alex obviously knew what Draco was up to because he responded with, "Of course not. I'm a half-blood, although my father is dead now. My mother was a Thistlebloom."

_True, false, true, true_, thought James. Alex was, if possible, even more of a Pureblood than Draco. His mother's family, the Thistleblooms, were a large, established Pureblood family who lived not only in Britain, but all over the world, including America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. And the Dee family was a very old, if rather reclusive family who'd fled to America during Voldemort's first rise to power. They only returned when Voldemort was vanquished the second time; they had not returned after Voldemort's first defeat because the three youngest children (Alex's father being one of them) were attending school on the West Coast.

"Was that your brother who went to Gryffindor?" asked Pansy, discretely glancing at the Gryffindor table where Solly was chatting animatedly to Seamus next to him and Lavender Brown across the table.

"My cousin," replied Alex smoothly. "And who may you be?" he asked Pansy with a flirtatious grin. James rolled his eyes mentally. Honestly, Alex would flirt with anything in a skirt.

"Pansy Parkinson," replied Pansy, giggling slightly. "Let me introduce you to the rest of the Slytherin Sixth Years."

Alex nodded slightly. Up at the front, three more Gryffindors, five Ravenclaws and two Hufflepuffs were sorted.

"Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, Millicent Bulstrode, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass over there," said Pansy, indicating with her head. Everyone nodded at James politely. Tracey and Daphne looked up from their conversation when they heard their names, and when Alex smiled at them, they waved and smiled back.

"Oh, and this is James Schwarz. He's new, only been here less than a week."

Alex moved to greet James like he did the others and the only sign that he recognized James was a slight widening of his eyes. But he quickly flashed his easy grin, to which James replied with a nod and smile.

James opened his mouth to ask Alex a question, but was interrupted when the Sorting Hat called out, "SLYTHERIN!"

A tall boy with fair, curly hair made his way over to them, smiling in a friendly manner. He introduced himself as Sergey Makarov, and spoke with a slight Russian accent.

It seemed as if Sergey Makarov's sorting opened a floodgate of a sorts, as the next four students were consecutively sorted into Slytherin, followed by a Hufflepuff and then two more Slytherins before Professor McGonagall moved on to the Seventh Years.

The rest of the Sorting passed without further incidents or best friends from the future popping up unexpectedly. When dinner was over, it was clear that the newest additions to the school were well on their way to fitting in at Hogwarts. Conversations took place with heavy accents or odd pronunciation, but by the time the students reached their houses, a very slight, but still clear bond had formed.

_If Voldemort had been looking to demoralise the Wizarding World, he'd made a grave miscalculation,_ thought James as he tugged his pyjama shirt on. Across from him in the significantly larger dormitory, Alex was chatting animatedly with Blaise; Goyle, Crabbe and Sergey were helping a dark-haired boy, Pierre something-or-other to move an oddly uncooperative trunk and two other boys, one from Durmstrang and the other from Durovernum were comparing broomsticks with Draco.

_Maybe it's just the benefit of hindsight, but Voldemort's plan definitely backfired this time,_ thought James with a smirk.

"What are you grinning about, James?" asked Blaise with a laugh.

With a shake of his head and a sheepish grin, James moved over to join Blaise and Alex's conversation.

* * *

Yeah, yeah, that was a bit of a pathetic chapter. But we're rather busy with some very important exams right now, even 'Miss I-Got-All-My-Modules-Right-First-Time-Round', so this will also be the last chapter for about a month. 

Anyway, hope you didn't find the chapter too appalling, and wish us luck!


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